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Hair That Goes ’50s-Style “Bump” At Peter Som Fall 2011 Show

For his Fall 2011 collection, designer Peter Som aimed to create a series of looks for the grown-up, real-life “Gossip Girl” contingent, with mix-and-match pieces conveying status and privilege without looking overly stuffy or frigid (no pinkie raised tea sippers here!). The wealthy “it” girls in Som’s paradigm possess a Daphne Guinness-esque grasp for all things cool, an ESP for the next buzz-worthy trends. Never cliché or sophomoric, the collection boasted wearable, mix-and-match pieces ranging from a red double-breasted coats with a bell-shaped waistline worn with a matching knee-length skirt to a Bohemian-flavored, heather gray pea coat with lush fur trim along the arms; a snug, belted maxi dress crafted out of a shimmering, liquid metal-like blue fabric and featuring a casual scoop neck, slightly puffed short sleeves, and wetsuit-like seams along the fitted bodice; and a knee-length floral print shift dress with petal ridges along the skirt adding volume and movement.

The hair look created by Wella Professionals Global Creative Director of Care & Styling Eugene Souleiman for the Peter Som Fall 2011 show, then, also nodded to this notion of a young, vivacious, fun-loving uptown girl. The jumping-off point for the look was the image of a late-’50s, early ’60s housewife with a prim, Jackie Kennedy-esque bouffant. But to rescue the look from dated pearl and pillbox hat territory, Souleiman turned to other bouffant lovers like Brigitte Bardot, who popularized a more exaggerated, bedhead-esque version of the look in the ’60s, and singer Amy Winehouse, who renewed interest in the hairstyle in 2007, with her own grunge-y take, which included wearing half of her hair down an keeping the bump section slightly mussy and tangled.

Like Winehouse’s take on the bouffant, then, the hair at the Peter Som show had a slightly disheveled feel (albeit way cleaner than Winehouse’s often ratty mop) that lent it a dose of downtown cool. The wavy strands falling down models’ backs and the wispy strands tucked behind their ears gave the look an impromptu, windswept look, as if they had been strolling along Central Park on a chilly day.

In preparation for the show, Wella Professionals Color Ambassador Aura Friedman custom-colored hair extensions for each model in the show, working with a palette ranging from platinum to dark brown. These extensions were designed so that they would match the corresponding model’s color at the roots then lighten gradually to yield an ombré effect that would make hair appear fuller.

On the day of the show, Souleiman worked these extensions into models’ hair, and started the styling process by spraying Wella Professionals Ocean Spritz on the roots and blow-drying hair upside down for added volume. Next, he teased the hair at the crown, back-combing it to give it more texture and height.

To add contrast and structure, he made a central part at the front of the head and pulled the hair sections back, close to the head along each side, securing them by tying them into a ponytail right one ear. To finish off the modernized bouffant, he brushed the top of the teased hair section, working it into an asymmetrical French twist, then securing it with a hair pin along the back. Last, he blow-dried the hair to give it that windswept, slightly tousled feel, spritzing the Wella Professionals Dynamic Fix 45 Second Crafting Spray for hold.